Stating that journalism was a ‘moral job’, Chairperson of the Business Standard Group T N Ninan advised those who couldn’t stay true to themselves to not become journalists. Ninan who was the Chief Guest at the convocation of the Express Institute of Media Studies (EXIMS), was addressing graduates from the institute about the various facets of the profession.

Ninan also encouraged the students to develop a healthy sense of skepticism, besides learning to be ‘good insiders and outsiders’. “Many great editors get feet of clay, so it is always good to have a healthy skepticism, even for your own editors. A good journalist is one who is both a good insider and outsider, so it is important that students work at developing this skill, to excel in the field,” he said.

Reminding students to stay grounded, he added, “Don’t assume that best journalism is done by the mainstream press, and don’t presume one kind of journalism is superior to the other Often, the media tends to think that it’s different from society, when the truth it is reflective of it. It is not by accident that India has a vibrant media, it is a creation of the society.”

Shekhar Gupta, editor-in-chief of the group, also advised students about the visible threats faced by Indian media today. “The iggest threat to news media are not media owners, but mining barons, property holders, crooks and thugs who are holding sway, and because of whom the media is getting compromised. It is a dangerous thing, and one that should be watched out for.”

Thirty six bright young students, from different parts of the country, have completed the course this year, the fourth batch since 2009. This year, student Kaunain Sheriff topped the class for outstanding performance in all areas of the course. There was a tie between Suyash Gabriel and Madhurita Goswami for the best all-round student, while the Dean’s prize went to Krishna Uppulury for his ‘dedication and hard work’.

“Before I came to EXIMS, I held a very different worldview about things. I never thought different people could get together and really work as a team, since in college, everyone stuck to their own groups. But EXIMS taught me that different people can not only get together, but work together to deliver great results,” Suyash Gabriel told Newsline.

“EXIMS opened me up as a person. It helped me unravel my different layers, and I will always be thankful to the institute for that,” said Kaunian Sheriff, the batch topper.

Express Institute of Media Studies (EXIMS) is an initiative of the Express Group of Publications begun under the guidance of the Editor-in-Chief, Shekhar Gupta. It is now into its fifth year, and the current batch has 36 students from all parts of India.